Judge, 1916-04-29 · page 9 of 28
Judge — April 29, 1916 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes **modesty** through interconnected commentary and cartoons. The main essay mock-defines modesty as a paradoxical virtue: people who possess "real" modesty are invisible, while those who *claim* modesty loudly reveal their lack thereof. The author notes modesty often masks laziness, timidity, or strategic self-effacement. The piece suggests modest people avoid drawing attention—yet some, like those with unflattering physical features, use modesty as cover. **The cartoons:** - **Top**: Two young soldiers exchange doughnuts at a military camp, playing on the sentry's challenge. The joke likely satirizes wartime food sharing or military routine. - **Bottom**: A social gathering where "Gladys" praises someone's long ancestry; "Celeste" replies it's "extremely thick"—an insult implying low-quality or disreputable lineage, mocking aristocratic pretension. The scattered jokes ("A Post Graduate," "Some Men") maintain the theme of false modesty and social hypocrisy. This reflects Judge's typical early-20th-century focus on exposing American social pretension.
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] MODESTY Movesty is a quality mainly noti able in folks who would lose by having attention called to themselves. _The modestest man we know has two or three other names on his waiting list, and there are Oh, so many places he can’t go at all. Greatness is char- acterized by a tend- ency to efface oneself. This is true of great modesty also. The man we know who claims the most modesty has one of the sorts of modesty that has effaced itself so utterly it must be very great modesty. One wouldn’t notice that man’s modesty at all unless one’s attention were called to it, as it is sure to be by the owner thereof. The gin with ankles too thick or too thin is modest about them. She doesn’t care much what color of hose she wears, and she keeps her skirts low. Also if her neck and shoulders 4 wny she thinks these one- more-strugg| d-I-am-free gowns are im- modest. In fact, she is sure of it. We have it on good authority that the homeliest of the Turkish women are the ones who man- age to maintain the custom of going about veiled to the eyes. Animals are not expected to be modest, Sentry—Halt! Who goes there? The challenged—A friend wif doughnuts. and think nothing about those things, so th re comparatively happy. They cs- cape modesty while they live and hell when they die. Some people are not modest about tell- ing of their ability, but are extremely modest about displaying it after they get the job. Their modesty vanishes again, temporarily, at cach pay-day. Synonyms for modesty are: self-defense, timidity, laziness, hope-of-attracting-atten- tion-to-oneself-by-pretending-to-be-so, etc. We know absolutely nothing of modesty except by hearsay. —Strickland Gillilan. Sixes and Sevens Usually, those who talk the most are fitted to say the least. A New Jersey jurist re- fuses to naturalize an ap- plicant who said that if war broke out, he'd fight “like hell.” Jersey Justice! But what would you? General Sherman did not define the punitive expedition. Politicians forgive their enemies—and you wonder which undertaker got the Sentry—Pass friend—halt doughnuts! of Congress, if they don’t watch out, will render themselves ineligible for re-clec- tion cither to Parliament or the Reichstag. A Post Graduate Rose—May is taking painting lessons. Marie—At a studio? Rose—No; in a beauty shop. Some Men Some men loaf around the Hotel of Life job. Gladys—Has he a long line of ancestors? Some of our members Celeste—Remarkably long, and extremely thick! comicbooks.com